American Women's Club meets The Last Daughter

American Women's Club Grand Bahama.

  Last week I had the privilege of speaking to the American Women's Club—a wonderful group of friendly expatriate women who live in Grand Bahama and have decided to make Freeport their home. The organization represents an interesting cross-section of educated and charitable women from all over the USA and looking around I saw several Canadians, Brits and Bahamians as well. From what I've read, every nationality is welcome.

  My hat goes off to the work they do in our community and to the objectives they hold—namely to bring women together, and to develop a friendly and social-minded spirit amongst each other while promoting and organizing activities in educational, artistic, literary and philanthropic fields. Women of all ages, interests and experiences belong to the club and I could sense that they are all united by a dedication to community improvement through volunteer service. So it was an honor to be allowed to speak to them in the literary field about my new book, The Last Daughter of Prussia.

Laurie Tuchel, the program co-ordinator and me

  My friend, Laurie Tuchel, who is also the program co-ordinator, set up the talk in a super relaxed format. We sat at a table where she asked pertinent questions about the characters and my writing process. I have to say it was fun and more relaxing to be "in contact and conversation" with an interviewer than to stand and talk—although I enjoy that too. Many of the women present had read the book and as an author it was heartwarming to hear live feedback from readers who normally are anonymous entities. Their faces came to life and when they spoke of their identification with the novel and the characters, I was deeply touched. As an author that is what I hope to accomplish.

  So thank you to the American Women's Club of Grand Bahama. You created a fabulously safe space for me to warm up and practice speaking before my Book Tour starts in April. I will be on the East Coast first—New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Shelter Island, The Hamptons, and other cities—the dates are being finalized by my publisher Wild River Books. The West Coast is next.

'Til next time,

Marina Gottlieb Sarles